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Friday, April 12, 2013

The Cabin Itch

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If you’ve been reading The Mess for the past three weeks,
then you are well aware that my family recently took a trip to the Pigeon
Forge/Gatlinburg area of Tennessee. On a
Friday afternoon, the twelve of us walked through our weekend getaway - a cabin
that slept fifteen people comfortably. I
wasn’t in the cabin five minutes and I already had the itch to buy one. A bigger one, of course, because, well,
that’s just how I am.

Not that our cabin was bad, however. Quite the contrary. It was what made me want one. There were four parking spots in the front
and you climbed two steps to the wooden porch and into your home away from
home. The front door opened up on the
kitchen with an island in the middle surrounded by stools. Behind that was a square dining room table
with eight chairs and to the west was the master bedroom and bath. My room.
Behind the table was the large living room with a sofa, recliner, and a
giant u-shaped sectional. A back porch
with rockers, a swing and a grill overlooked the small forest behind us, making
it the perfect spot for me.

On the far west wall was a staircase leading to the second
floor, four of the kids would take the two rooms and two baths up there as well
as have their own porch looking to the south.
All of the rooms were spacious as were the bathrooms, which was a nice
plus with such a large group. Not
having to share my porcelain throne with the other eleven members of our party
was going to be a treat.

The living area of the main floor

Another set of stairs next to the master bath led down to
the bottom floor and two more bedrooms with baths. There was also a long area with a pool table
and two couches with a door leading out to yet another porch; this one with a
hot tub. This floor also had a closet
with washer and dryer, but who is going to do laundry on vacation?

While I was at the cabin, I spent the majority of my time on
the porch on the main floor. Those who
know me are not surprised, I’m sure. I
used the porch rail as a mini desk, with my coffee on one side and cigar on the
other, and my notebook open, ready for notes and ideas to be jotted down. I stood with cigar perched between two
fingers on the left hand and my pen in my right as I stared off into the
woods. However, I was constantly turning
back around to absorb the house, my imagination running wild with
possibilities.

“What are you thinking?”
Char had slipped outside to check on me.

Our favorite part of the cabin

I smiled back at her, “How I would decorate this place for
Christmas and what I would change about it.”

She laughed because she had done the same thing. We all did, to be honest.

“Top floor would be your office.”

“Yup. Only I’d knock
out the wall between rooms and make it one giant study. I’d probably convert one of the bathrooms
into storage or a mini- library. We
would also need electrical outlets on the porches.”

“I was thinking we take the floor out of the room above the
master bedroom and give you the My Fair Lady office you’ve always wanted. And I hate walking into the kitchen from the
front door. That would need to be
different.”

Another view of the main floor

And the ideas flowed.
It needs to be wider. The heat
needs to be better circulated. A real
fireplace. The list wasn’t long, because
we truly fell in love with the cabin and the rustic motif. I even discussed where I would set up the
Christmas tree and we discussed how we would decorate the banister with
garlands of green. The more we talked,
the stronger the itch became.

“It would be a great gateway hideaway.” I pushed. “The kids could even use it and we could
bring friends here with us.” Most of our
trips include friends, so it was a good selling point. With a couple of us able to work remotely, it
wouldn’t swallow too much vacation time, which was an added feature. If we could get the others to do the same, we
could hide in our cabin for weeks at a time.
I’m ready to go now!

My family wound up in the Sunshine State because my father
brought us here on vacation and refused to go back to the frozen state of
Indiana. After spending my sophomore
year there, I’m glad he made that decision.
It’s also how they wound up in their current home in Alabama. After several vacation trips they were sold
on the area, bought some property and hugged us goodbye. They’ve rarely been back.

Chow time!!

Big Dan at the Hard Rock in Downtown Gatlinburg did the same
thing. He went for a visit and that
visit changed the direction of his life. I know several people who have done the same
thing, so I don’t think I’m crazy when I say I want to buy a cabin in the
mountains. Now, I’m not ready to forsake
the Florida beaches permanently.
However, a few trips throughout the year would be a welcome change, a
chance to slow down and breathe in a little sanity. Everyone needs an escape like that to help
them recharge and we usually find it while visiting other places. For my friend, Margie, it’s Italy, and I
think my New Jersey friend, Stephanie, just became sold on Florida. For me
it’s the mountains and I can’t wait to go back.
Maybe you should come along.
There is plenty of room.

* * * * *

Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!

9 comments:

In my head, I own property just about everywhere I have traveled...sigh. Just reading about you and Char planning it made me want to stop eating for a year...or ten so I could afford to do so. Wonderful post!

Whew am I ever behind!! Another great read my friend and as I said to you before, go for it!! I think you would love a cabin and for the record, I tend to mentally redecorate almost every place I visit. LOL Thanks for the mention and I'll be back in Florida sooner than later. Margie has pointed me towards some nice listings : )

I am more tempted every day, my friend :) And you'll love it here. Today was a mixture of warmth and a solid rainstorm. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who changes my stop-overs in my mind lol. Thanks for visiting, Stephanie :)

Hi Robbie. Got to your site through a Twitter link retweeted by Michael Sullivan, an author friend of mine. My husband and I go to TN regularly, but it has been quite a few years (since before my 4 yr old was born) that we have went on a retreat there. I would love to Go back. We went to The Buckberry Lodge, atop a snowy mountain. It was devine having the luxurious but rugged accommodations in such a peaceful and serene atmosphere. My sister was married at a chapel there in the wintertime and one of my girlfriends live there too. When we came back from visiting her a few months ago I made the comment that I wanted to move there. It isn't the right time with careers, family obligations, and whatnot, but I WILL be back! Love that place. Guess I'll be a Georgia peach for a little while longer! Great post! I'm following you on Twitter so I can keep up with your posts. Feel free to click on my name and check out my site. I'm a writer also. My motto in life is Live.Laugh.Love. Have a great day!

Thank you, Laurie, for visiting, and I will definitely give you a follow back and check out your page. I bet that was a beautiful wedding. We want to just get a small cabin - by my standards small, that is lol - for trips and getting away from the city, but who knows what the future will hold. Thanks for visiting and commenting!

I can totally understand your love for another place to call home away from home.The mountains are beautiful...I have been there, not Pigeon Forge, but along the NC part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. That cabin looks awesome. I say go for it!!

I bet that was a pretty sight as well. Will have to check it out :) It's going to happen - the purchase of a cabin. How soon, I'm not sure yet, but it's definitely going to happen. Thanks, Margie, for visiting and commenting!

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About Robbie

The Mess That Is Me is merely my unique observations that sometimes find themselves hiding in the dark corners of a twisted mind. It is a sampling of what clutters my desk and fills the manila envelopes that find their way to editors In-boxes. If you enjoy what you read, please share the URL.

I live in sunny Florida where I spend my days taxiing the family to various places while jotting down the many crazy thoughts inside my head. I enjoy a freelance career writing for several magazines sharing some of my interesting viewpoints on life and those around me. I can usually be found on my back porch watching the squirrels chittering at the birds while enjoying a cigar, a scotch, and the many characters that talk to me inside my head.

My manuscripts have appeared in religious, parenting and retirement magazines, along with a ghost story or two. I am the author of the short story, Circle of Justice and the novella, Reaping the Harvest, both of which can be found at Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. Feel free to visit, strike up a chat and share a story or two with me.